LING3329 · Slavic & Eastern Languages and Literatures

The Linguistic Structure of Tibetan

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

How does a language develop-and lose-tone? When are two dialects different enough to be considered distinct languages? What happens when a clause becomes a noun? How can a sentence cite its sources? In this course, students will conduct hands-on analysis of the Tibetan language to answer these questions.Tibetan is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by around six million people in China, Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Pakistan, as well as diaspora communities worldwide. As a result of its association with the Buddhist and Bn religions, it is historically significant across Central Asia and remains a liturgical language in Mongolia and parts of Russia.Students will examine the phonology, morphology, and syntax of Tibetan, along with its relationship with other languages. Some topics well examine in depth include evidentiality, the ergative/absolutive case system, clausal nominalization, and the interaction between tonal and laryngeal phonology. Along the way, we will look at the historical divergence of Tibetan varieties, the broader history of the Sino-Tibetan family, and the mutual influence of Tibetan varieties on each other and with other languages.